MBSS Site Summary for: CR-P-205-319-96


Located on BIG PIPE CR in the Double Pipe Creek watershed, 8-digit code: 02140304.
This stream was visited in the spring on 3/12/1996 and again in the summer on 8/8/1996.

Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) Results:

An Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) is a scientific tool used to identify and classify stream health. An IBI associates anthropogenic influences on a stream or with biological condition in the stream, and is formulated using data developed from biosurveys.
Details on the development and application of MBSS IBIs are in this document.
Fish IBI Good - 4.3 / 5.0
Benthic IBI Fair - 3.0 / 5.0

Land Use

Land use can provide important information for determining stream health.
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Catchment area 35,238 acres Cows standing in a stream at a site with high agricultural land use. Cows survey the sampling procedure at this extreme example of a highly agriculturalized site.
Urban Land Use 0.7 %
Agricultural Land Use 73.4 %
Forested Land Use 25.1 %


Stream showing woody debris, logs, and rocky substrate.
An example of woody debris in a stream.

Physical Stream Habitat
Instream Habitat 14/20 (Suboptimal)
Epifaunal Substrate 15/20 (Suboptimal)
Velocity/Depth Diversity 18/20 (Optimal)
Pool Quality
Pool Extent = meters 		17/20 (Optimal)
Riffle Quality 17/20 (Optimal)
Shading 80 %
Embeddedness 15 %
Several measures of instream habitat were considered 'Optimal' at this location.


Stream Water Quality:
Water temperature 20.9 ° C
Dissolved oxygen (DO) 10.4 mg/L
pH (lab) 7.57
Conductivity 188 µmho/cm
Alkalinity
(acid neutralizing capacity) 		564.1 µeq/L
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) 1.2 mg/L

Biological Stream Condition:

Surveys of the organisms living within a stream can give indications of stream health. Species richness, or the number of different species present, as well as indicator species (species whose presence, absence or abundance can serve as a measure of environmental conditions) are informative for stream health. 		Close-up of a mayfly indicator species.

Fish Survey Results:
The following 15 fish species were collected.
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Common name Count
Blue Ridge Sculpin 192
Potomac Sculpin 60
Greenside Darter 36
Longnose Dace 21
Fantail Darter 17
Bluntnose Minnow 13
Creek Chub 12
Spottail Shiner 12
Northern Hogsucker 10
Margined Madtom 8
Rosyface Shiner 5
Cutlip Minnow 4
White Sucker 2
Yellow Bullhead 2
Blacknose Dace 1
Biologists sampling fish communities.
Electrofishing to sample fish communities.

Amphibians and Reptiles:
No amphibians and reptiles noted.

Crayfish:
Orconectes virilis

Exotic Plants:
No exotic plants noted.
 

Benthic Macroinvertebrates:
Sensitive taxa: Green, Tolerant: Red, Intermediate: Gold.
Genus/Family Common Name Count
Prostoia Spring Stonefly 6
Stenonema Flatheaded Mayfly 5
Tipula Crane Fly 2
Leptoxis Freshwater Snail 1
Ephemera Mayfly 1
Chironomidae Non-Biting Midge 1
Isonychia Slate Drake Mayfly 1
Baetidae Small Minnow Mayfly 1
Paracapnia Small Winter Stonefly 1
Psychomyia Trumpet-Net Caddisfly 1
Prosimulium Black Fly 1
Ameletus Combmouthed Minnow Mayfly 1
Kick net sampling for macroinvertebrates.
Sampling with a kick net.

Information disclaimer: The information and data on this page is for guidance and general planning purposes only. It should not be used to make decisions on specific matters.